Jaigarh: The Beautiful fort with sturdy walls

This sturdy, sprawling fort was built in 1726 by Mahraja Jaisingh II when the Jaipur was made capital of the state. The 3 Km long fort had a distinct identity as the best foundry of the country and many high-end canons were cast in the compounds of its canon foundry. Using the highly advanced techniques and distinct crafting skills the local Rajputs built the canons that proved their mettle in the battlefields and impressed many mighty Mughals who were loyal admirers of these massive machines. The fort houses several palaces and museum that are delight to the eyes. So why to wait and waste time, let’s take a look:

Warehouse of Weapons

One of the major places that effortlessly captivate the attention is Munitions' Store in its compound. A wide array of massive and lethal weapons is a sight to behold: Right from Medieval weapons that required massive physical strength, to European weapons that employed smart, mechanical force and a greater accuracy.

What to see?

Some of the medieval weapons include swords, arrows, bows, javelins and various types of small battle-knives.

The European weapon collection is equally impressive with a wide array of massive guns, revolvers, rifles and bombs.

What is the specialty?

These weapons are as beautiful as lethal. The beautifully carved golden hilts and embellished revolvers compel us to appreciate the craftsmanship of artisans.

These massive weapons can give us the hint of the massive physical strength of erstwhile Rajputs rulers.

Museum

This museum houses a beautiful collection of artifacts that depict the lifestyle of the fort in royal era. In fact while walking through this museum it seems that the theory of special relativity (...What's that? Google to find!) has come true and you have embarked on a backward journey through ages and eras.

What to see?

There are puppets, edifices, massive containers, coins and other artifacts of gone by era and each artifact has a story behind it. To get the best rewards of your visit, it is good to read the tale and general characteristics of each artifact. Refined to the highest levels of aesthetics, these artifacts are a treat to the sore eyes.

The images of erstwhile Maharajas are a sight to behold.

Laxmi Vilas Palace

The place is an exquisite example of various beautiful wall paintings in shades of blue. These wall paintings show the most refined artistic skills of erstwhile painters. What to see?

Apart from these paintings you can also see the remnants of what was once the Royal Mughal Garden. The palace was also used by tired kings to rejuvenate their senses by enjoying various entertainment shows like dance, puppet shows and music concerts. Is water the only "precious thing" found in the legendary tanks of Jaigarh?

The answer is "No". Read on....

There are 3 massive tanks in the fort. The biggest among them can store as much as 600 millions of water. It was used by the inhabitants of the fort. The water-fetching natural technique was no less impressive and efficient then today’s' water fetching electric motors. There exists a story that oscillates between myth and reality. Here we go..

“A massive water tanks among the three has 9 big holes in its roof and interestingly each role opens to a room. People say that these well guarded rooms were used to amass a huge wealth of jewels, gems and precious stones. To save the treasure from the intruders' eyes they were hidden in the tanks' roof! More interestingly the modern era only reconfirms this medieval legend! In fact during the emergency period then Prime Minister India Gandhi sent a large team of Income Tax officials to find the hidden treasure. If there is a hint of truth in the rumors: The Income Tax officials were able to find the massive hidden treasure. It was confiscated and transported in massive military trucks to some unknown location. We too wanted to discard it as some baseless gossip but then one thing prevents us from that. For one whole day the Jaipur-Delhi highway was closed for the public. Some people claim that the objective was to hide treasure-laden military trucks from public view. These trucks passed through Delhi-Jaipur highway express to transport the treasure to some unknown places. Also the fort was closed for public access for 7 years and there should be a very strong, solid yet secret reason behind it. Why was it closed for public view and why was it reopened after 7 years, these are the key questions that indicate some percentage of truth in the legendary treasure!”

Massive Cannon

Jaivana is the massive cannon that are one of the principal attractions of the fort.

This canon was the biggest cannon on wheels during royal era. The massive cannon called Jaivana. This 50 ton mortar has a massive reach exceeding 30 kms. The canon can rotate 360degrees it took the combined strength of 4 massive pachyderms (guess who?) to move it. Some of the distinct technicians of Rajputana combined their skills and efforts to craft this massive, lethal weapon. The barrel is embellished with various carved shapes of trees, birds’ pair and an elephant scroll. The fireball of this canon weighed as much as 50 kG.

Some interesting facts

The legend says that when the massive Jaivana was tested the firebomb travelled 18 miles and made a hollow in a distant village of Rajasthan.

The person who launched the test bomb immersed himself into the water of nearby pond till the ears to prevent them from bursting.

There is still a large amount of "barood" or explosive material under the ground of the fort.